l i l a m a r i n d e s i g n s

 n a n t u c k e t   c o l l e c t i o n

For whatever we lose (like a you or a me),

It's always our self we find in the sea.

~ e.e. cummings

I've never known what my "calling" was. I've been on the hunt for it for quite a while now, and I'm assuming I will be for many years to come. I know I love being a mom and a wife and all of that good stuff. But beyond that... the special something which I excel at, make money for, and that makes my heart sing to the rooftops with joy? Ummm, yeeeaaaah, nope. Haven't found it.

I went to Penn State approximately a drinking aged person ago and received a degree in Journalism and Fine Arts. Strangely enough, I've had jobs somewhat inclusive of those very fields, including editorial, p.r., copywriting, art production, advertising, and marketing... At one point, I went back to school in the hopes of getting my Master's in School Counseling. Life interrupted those plans, quite unfortunately. And though I loved the short amount of time I had the honor of spending at Fairfield U for grad school, I never went back.

Through all of those post-PSU years (Geez, Jen, way to make me sound ancient. Shut it, Sybil.), I've been searching for some sort of creative adventure. While my long-term goal is to ultimately own a small gallery in a New England beach town (d r e a m ), short-term is simply calling for a little bit of creativity mixed in with the sea.

 Enter one very short person named Lila: When Lila and AJ were born, I searched far and wide for a beautiful bracelet for my little monkey-girl, but to no avail. The ones I found were either plastic, unsafe or, well, less-than beautiful. I decided to take a trip to Beadniks in downtown Naples and make some for her (and for me!), myself: And, well, that about sums up the genesis of the "bonding bracelet".

Ahem... [standing up] My name is Jen and I am a beader.

So nowadays, I'm making every effort to design organic, strong, pretty, and toddler-friendly bracelets. So far, they've turned out quite nicely. Friends and family have surprised me by placing orders for said bonding bracelets. And Lila approves, and she's carrying about eleven cents in her Nashville cowgirl wallet, so... I am well on my way to a successful business venture.

Seriously, I've been happily convinced by some really great people to create a little business called Lila Marin Designs. I'm in the process of designing a website and some new collections ~ all reflective of my favorite places by the sea. (Well, to be 100% transparent, here, the first collection was actually called, "Oh-sh*t-I-forgot-the-clasp." Followed up by a second installment titled: "Sh*t-it's-too-small.") However, right now we've got some Nantucket-inspired bracelets for mom and daughter. Yep, that's about it. The Nantucket Collection. But on its way are Newport and Martha's Vineyard. Can't wait to make them!

Who knows. Perhaps there will be a very pronounced sound of crickets and Lila and I will have a plethora of bonding bracelets to choose from for nights out at Chili's. But this is great fun, it's scratching my creative itch, and my little girl and I finally have matching little green-and-blue gifts from the sea...

For info on bonding bracelets, just send me an email at churchmouse211@yahoo.com for now until I've got the website set up. (I do realize that's an extremely unprofessional email address. Wow, I have absolutely no excuse I'm working on that... and I'll love it if you email me, anyway!)

h a p p y   t u e s d a y !

bracelet photos courtesy of heidi darwish

http://www.heididarwishphotography.com/